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Liberty names new library dean

January 11, 2013 : Liberty University News Service

Marcy Pride has recently been named dean of Liberty’s Integrated Learning Resource Center. Prior to being named dean, Pride served as associate dean of research and customer service for the ILRC. She will take over for Carl Merat, who retired after serving as dean of the ILRC since 2011.

The ILRC combines in a single organization Liberty’s vital academic resources — the library, computer labs, and media services.

Merat was honored for his service by Dr. Ronald Godwin, Liberty’s provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs on Dec. 12. Godwin presented Merat with a commemorative clock as a sign of appreciation for his service to the university and his supportfulfilling its vision.

Pride, who holds M.A. and M.L.S. degrees, has had a diverse career, working for a library for the first time in the sixth grade. She has also served as a library director in Maryland, both at a college and with the State Department of Education. In 2002 she won the American Library Association’s John Cotton Dana Award for Library Public relations. She also has worked as an educator, for a variety of nonprofits, and has held offices in a number in community and civic organizations. She is a frequent speaker and the co-author of “Blueprint for Marketing Your Library.”

“It’s really an exciting time to be at Liberty. When it opens in the fall, the Jerry Falwell Library is going to be an amazing place where students will be equipped with knowledge and skills that will greatly enhance their educational experience here,” Pride said.

Chancellor Jerry Falwell, Jr. (left) with Marcy Pride, new dean of the ILRC; Carl Merat, former ILRC dean; and Dr. Ron Godwin, provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs.

The new Jerry Falwell Library, scheduled to open in the fall, is Liberty’s largest investment in any one structure to date. It will feature innovative technology, including a four-story robotic book retrieval system. The library is sure to become a campus hotspot with plenty of casual seating areas, reading rooms, computer labs, a spacious food court, and multiple balconies and terraces.

“For me and the ILRC staff,” Pride added, “this represents an opportunity to continue to work toward providing stellar, world-class library services, so when the Jerry Falwell Library opens, what we provide for the students will serve them well and equip them to go out and be Champions for Christ.”